A Nigerian boy who was branded a witch by his village and forced to drink poison was adopted by an NGO where he overcame the traumas of his past. Now 18, he dreams of helping others like himself.
Essien Emmanuel Esebre, who will soon attend college, hopes to study law so that he can help protect other victimized children. However, back in 2014, staying in his hometown of Mbokpu Oduobo, Akwa Ibom State, Essien’s life could not have looked more different.
(Courtesy of Anja Ringgren Lovén)
Anja Ringgren Lovén, the founder of Land of Hope—an advocacy group working to save innocent children accused of witchcraft from exclusion, torture, and death—first met Essien while filming a deliverance ritual in a local church. It was for a documentary called “The Heroes of Hell,” to be broadcast on Danish national television….